A 17-year-old girl was believed to have been dragged out of the eatery, then stabbed and rapedGoogle Maps

Surrey Police has arrested a man suspected of dragging a teenage girl out of a Pizza Hut, stabbing her in the abdomen and raping her. The incident was said to have happened in Epsom on Friday, 17 June, near at the Waterloo Road branch of the pizza restaurant

Officers say that a man walked into the eatery and attacked a member of staff who tried to protect the 17-year-old girl before pulling her outside and disappearing with her at just after 10pm. Police arrived at the outlet just after 10.30pm and began searching the streets nearby in a desperate bid to find the girl.

Around 20 minutes later they arrested a man in connection with the assault in a recreation ground nearby. They then discovered the girl in Pound Lane with a stab wound to her abdomen.

The girl is currently at St George's Hospital in Tooting, where she is said to be in a serious but not life-threatening condition. Police say that the pair are known to each other and they are not looking for another suspect.

A 32-year-old Epsom man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, kidnap, rape and grievous bodily harm. He is currently being questioned by detectives.

Detective Inspector Nick Chambers said: "This was clearly a very serious incident where a young woman has been subjected to a horrific ordeal and we are in the process of carrying out a thorough and detailed investigation to establish what happened.

"This appears to have been a violent and pre-planned attack which took place in a very public location in the centre of Epsom. Epsom on Friday night is a busy place so I'm sure passers-by and motorists must have seen this incident unfolding and I would like to hear from anyone who saw anything out of the ordinary in or around Pizza Hut or Court Recreation Ground last night.

"A member of staff at Pizza Hut tried to intervene when the man entered the restaurant and suffered injuries to his arm as a result but fortunately his injuries are not believed to be serious."